Can skinny jeans harm your health?

Dubai, UAE: While fashion trends are rarely questioned in terms of their effects on our health, skinny jeans recently became a hot topic when one case proved that what we wear can really affect how we function.

This popular fashion trend placed a 35-year-old Australian woman in the hospital with temporary paralysis in both legs after she spent most of the day helping a friend pack in her skinny jeans. She was taken to hospital after she fell to the ground and was unable to move or stand for several hours due to numbness and swelling on her legs. The fashion victim’s story has been trending on social media sites, spreading both concern and awareness about tight trousers.

Dr Rahul Chaudhary, specialist Dermatologist working at International Modern Hospital, explained the incidence as a possible case of paralysis caused by long-term compression of the skin and arteries.

“Wearing very tight-fitting trousers or jeans can compress the skin, and its underlying structure, which includes the smaller blood vessels, and medium and larger arteries that carry oxygenated blood to the tissues in the legs and organs in the body.”

He explained that short-term compression of the legs will cause the skin to flush and will add pressure to the smaller vessels under the skin. However, wearing tight trousers for several hours or for most of the day could compromise the blood supply in the legs as well as the blood supply from the legs to the rest of the body. “After a certain number of hours, the tissues and cells in the leg will start to experience hypoxia, which is the lack of oxygen and eventually begin to die,” said Dr Chaudry.

In this case, a person will begin to experience severe throbbing pain, swelling [oedema], numbness, and a rise in temperature. Dr Sreedhara Doddery, Specialist Orthopaedician at iCare Clinics, also referred to the recent Australian case, pointing out that skinny jeans or trousers can also compress the nerves in the leg and lead to muscle damage. “Wearing very tight trousers for long periods of time and squatting or moving around can lead to the compression of the superficial nerve around the knee, which will compress the calf and leg muscles,” explained Dr Doddery. This will lead to the dysfunction of the nerve and will ultimately cause weakness, numbness, inflammation and temporary paralysis. Similarly, the muscles can be damaged if the blood supply is compromised as the muscles will begin to lack nutrients.

The same applies to men who wear skinny jeans, said Dr Drobbery.

While mild cases can result in inflammation, infection, and even urinary tract infections (UTIs), the impact of very tight jeans on men could have long-term affects.

“It can lead to infertility in men and can reduce sperm count,” said Dr Drobbery.

He pointed out that while the trending story of the Australian women is a rare case, a more documented and common problem caused by tight jeans is nerve damage around the hip. “There are more cases of people complaining from long-term pain and numbness around their hip and even lower back discomfort caused by their tight clothing,” said Dr Drobbery.

If you recognise any of these symptoms, perhaps it is time to go shopping for some loose and comfortable jeans.